Raiders both quiet and busy in free agency?

The Raiders, with only two handfuls of returning starters, will have to be very active in free agency, which starts Tuesday.

It just may not be on Tuesday.

Oakland first has to announce which of their prospective 17 unrestricted free agents it has re-signed, and that will be a short list. Guys like defensive tackle Richard Seymour and punter Shane Lechler are ready to move on (and so is the team), on-the-rise players like defensive tackle Desmond Bryant and linebacker Philip Wheeler would be foolish to not see what’s out there on the open market and others … well general manager Reggie McKenzie just lost their numbers.

Only for backup players such as running Mike Goodson, cornerback Joselio Hanson and safety Mike Mitchell would a deal Tuesday make sense for both sides.

After lunch Tuesday, the Raiders will start trying fill many roles for many holes. But with only $6 million under the salary cap ($13 million when they release defensive tackle Tommy Kelly and linebacker Rolando McClain), McKenzie won’t exactly be knocking down the doors of top-tier free agents.

Here are five areas of need for a 4-12 team that could very well be worse next season:

Cornerback: McKenzie and coach Dennis Allen got rid of every cornerback in their first season. This year’s not a whole lot better, but they could bring back restricted free agent Phillip Adams in a starting role, as well as Hanson and Brandian Ross. Michael Huff, who filled in admirably last season, is returning to free safety so the Raiders need one, if not two, starting cornerbacks.

Last year, McKenzie rolled the dice on two starters coming off injuries and came up craps with Ron Bartell and Shawntae Spencer. Will he go a similar route this season with someone like Atlanta’s Brent Grimes (Achilles) to save some money?

Defensive line: If you were paying attention, the words defensive and tackle sure came up a lot earlier with players Oakland was losing. The Raiders would love to get the versatile Bryant back, but 27-year-old guys who can play tackle and end and rush the passer are very popular in free agency.

Seymour and Kelly are out, and defensive end Matt Shaughnessy has had injury problems and not much success getting to the quarterback. So defensive end Lamarr Houston looks like the only returning starter. McKenzie might attack this spot in a draft deep at the position, while adding a reliable vet like former Bronco Kevin Vickerson or former Jaguar Terrence Knighton.

Linebacker: McClain is gone and there’s a good chance Wheeler, who has improved each of his five years and showed some burst in a new role last season, is gone. Rookie Miles Burris started in the other outside linebacker spot because Oakland didn’t have anyone else, which could be true again next season.

The Raiders need a pass-rusher and they need bodies. There are a lot more of the latter than the former in free agency, and guys like former Niner and Bengal Manny Lawson and former Packer and Bill Nick Barnett make sense.

Offensive line: Fair or not, all of the Raiders problems last year started here. The Raiders turned to a zone blocking running scheme and brought in a fairly-high-priced free agent in guard Mike Brisiel to help make it click. Brisiel and the line struggled early, and by the time they started to improve, running back Darren McFadden had lost confidence in the scheme and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp was working the Rolodex again.

This year, the Raiders are going to a power scheme, which probably leaves free agents Cooper Carlisle and Khalif Barnes out of a job and Brisiel fighting to keep his in training camp. Left tackle Jared Veldheer and center Stefen Wisniewski are the only locked-in starters at this point, so McKenzie has to find offensive line coach Tony Sparano some new toys.

Tight end: Brandon Myers led Oakland in receptions (79) and receiving yards (806) but the Raiders don’t want to spend a lot and aren’t enamored of his blocking, so the free agent will likely land elsewhere. Backups David Ausberry and Richard Gordon are not viewed by the organization as starting material, so former Dolphin Anthony Fasano and yes, even former Raider and Chief Kevin Boss might want to keep their cell line open.